|  | 2.3 | Switching and VLANs
| 2.3.6 | Benefits of LAN switching
Switches have many benefits. A LAN switch allows many users to communicate in parallel through the use of virtual circuits and dedicated network segments in a collision-free environment. This maximizes the bandwidth available on the shared medium. Also, moving to a switched LAN environment is very cost-effective because you can reuse existing hardware and cabling. Finally, the power of the switch combined with the software to configure LANs give network administrators great flexibility in managing the network.